This is a Guest Post by Shaun Gisbourne of the PhoneMentor Program.
Having read about how getting one new client can cost more than 8 times what it costs to retain an existing one, it struck me that whatever clients feel about the experience they receive, it’s also very likely that prospects feel it too. Unbeknown to you, clients could even be talking to your prospects about you!
It can be argued that clients will tell other people about experiences with you (bad more than good), and that among the people they tell, some will be potential prospects. That, however, is far from being the full story. The attitude that you take towards existing clients will, to a greater or lesser extent, be reflected in the way you treat new prospects too.
Think about it: Imagine you’re speaking with a prospect who reveals an issue that you’ve already had a very difficult time dealing with for one of your existing clients. As you recall that experience, the prospect will be able to detect your response; vocal, physiological or otherwise, and on the basis of that they will gain an impression of how you will likely respond when it comes to helping them resolve that issue. If your response is to sigh, shift uncomfortably in your seat, scratch your head, pull a face or attempt to change the subject, chances are the signal you’re giving is discouraging from the prospects’ viewpoint and you’ll not be entrusted to help resolve their issue. They in turn will never recommend you to others for anything.
Whenever it has become clear that an experience with a client has proceeded less than smoothly, keeping the lines of communication open may be a challenge as both parties can become defensive, a natural and instinctive human reaction. Nevertheless, the lines of communication must be kept open, it is crucial as otherwise there can be no way forward to progress to a satisfactory conclusion for anyone. Failing to acknowledge unresolved issues and avoid working on them only makes the problem worse.
It is for these reasons and more that keeping the lines of communication open with existing clients, in the form of short surveys, pre-arranged telephone conversations and (where necessary) meetings, is so vital to successful outcomes for both you and your clients.
Assuming that clients and/or prospects are happy simply because you’ve heard nothing negative from them is very dangerous. What are you doing today to find out how your valued clients feel? What will you do to ensure that you know what they really want from you? Is your prospect waiting for you to be pro-active and prove yourself worthy of their business?
If you never call, you’ll never know…
Shaun is author of the PhoneMentor program, delivering practical resources and solutions for businesses, Subject Matter Experts and other SME’s to capitalise on their use of the telephone.
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Thank you Stephanie and Chris. Glad you got value from this. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” goes the saying. Product knowledge, whilst never unimportant, still pales in comparison to knowledge of people you serve or would like to serve.
There is another similar article expanding on this theme that I completed last week – please let me know if you’d like it.
i agree. i have definitely spent a lot of time following up on people that i thought were real potential customers because they didnt raise any major objections when i was closing them.
i really enjoyed this article and hope that shaun does similar ones in the future. thanks shaun.
@stephanie – absolutely correct. remember people, objections are actually there to help you close your sales. if someone doesnt bring up a single objection then you should maybe ‘look’ for them a little. they give us the chance to answer with well thought-out responses and make us look professional, knowledgeable and above all, helpful… dont be scared of objections. they are your friends.